I Think I Love You
by styrofoampeanuts
Summary: What if Rin had never mysteriously vanished? What if Kakashi one day returned her burning feelings? Can they overcome the shadow of Obito's death and move on?


As a cool breeze drifted over the streets of Konoha, Rin took one last look at the ramen bar that stood not 3 feet away from her. The exquisite scent wafting over to her only served to intensify her discomfort. She had been standing here for quite some time now but she couldn't see the bright colours of the signboard, couldn't hear the clinking of bowls, couldn't hear the merry chatter of those inside who were oblivious to her pain. All she _could _see were images from years back, where she and Obito had shared many a meal in the comfortable silence that came with the companionship of two bosom buddies. She couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the spot where Obito had bought her her first bowl of ramen. She wondered if this was what it was like for everyone in the Leaf Village who had lost a valuable comrade, a close friend. She wondered if this was what it was like for _him_. As she thought this, she felt, quite distinctly, a throbbing ache in her heart and a fissure that seemed to follow, cleaving her heart in two.

Finally wrenching her gaze away from the ramen bar, she turned and walked in the direction of the memorial stone, her footsteps loud in the secluded evening, but not quite loud enough to mask the light laughter echoing in her head, emanating from the phantom figures of her younger days.

As she approached the clearing bearing the memorial stone in its centre, she could sense the presence of another. She hid in the shadow of a large oak tree, reluctant to be seen. Peering out from the safety of her hiding place, she saw a figure standing ramrod straight, silver hair haloed by the glow of the dying sun. From her vantage point, she could clearly appreciate the way the rays of the sun served only to highlight his lean body, making him look almost like a god. She could not see his face, but from the slight downward tilt of his head, it was clear he was mourning. Obito, he was here for Obito. As he had been for the past 3 years since his death. As he would for as many days as he lived. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, a product of being in close proximity to him. She cursed silently – even after all the time she'd spent avoiding him, she was still unable to break away from his hold on her. She battled furiously with herself. On one hand, she yearned to reveal herself and tell him that she knew just how it was for him, just how much she hurt on the inside because of Obito as well. She wanted to show him that as unseemly as it was, she was exactly like him, suffering in the exact same way he was. He grieved for the loss of a friend he hadn't appreciated until shortly before his demise; he tormented himself with the knowledge that because of the decisions he made, Obito was consigned to the void; but most of all, he agonized over the fact that while his friend had saved his life and taught him a most valuable lesson, he had done nothing for him in return.

She grieved for the loss of her best friend; she tortured herself by reliving the happier days; she stayed awake at night knowing that because of her lack of expertise in medical ninjutsu, she had not been able to save the one who had picked her up off the ground so many years ago.

(Flashback to 10 years ago)

'I have no use for a girl who brings disgrace to my clan. Do with her what you will.'

She had been listening in on her father's conversation with her sensei, the future Fourth Hokage. She had been curious as to why her sensei would pay her father a visit and had decided that since they were likely to be discussing something regarding her training, it wasn't wrong for her to just ascertain what they had in mind for her. After all, she would know soon and it _was_ her business. As soon as she had formulated that line of logic, she found herself crouched at the side of the translucent screen door to her father's room, listening intently as he uttered that ghastly statement.

_He couldn't mean that, could he? Sure, he's always been cold and demanding, expecting me to be the same, but he has never called me a disgrace before. Could it be? Is it true?_

She didn't want to hear any more. Legs pumping, she made her swift escape to a place where perhaps she wouldn't be able to hear all the accusations and criticism behind that one word. _Disgrace_. Behind her, Minato said something in response but she was too far away to hear by now.

Sitting down in the shadow of the big red slide, she hugged her knees closer, as though hoping that by covering her heart, she could protect it from being broken. Tears slipped down her face, defying her will to keep them in.

'Hey!' a voice called out.

Still not looking up, she thought that voice was familiar. She'd heard it somewhere before…

'Hello? Earth to Rin? It's me, Obito! Don't pretend you can't hear me!'

_So it was him_, she thought.

'What do you want?' she deadpanned, trying to keep the tremor in her voice to a bare minimum. It wasn't working.

'Hey, are you… okay?' she could hear the shift in his tone, cheerful confidence to one tempered with concern.

'Do I look okay to you?'

'Alright sorry, dumb question. You look like you could do with some ramen. How about it?' he asked. This time, she could hear the grin in his voice.

Over ramen, she told him what she'd heard and how much it had hurt to find she really wasn't worth anything in her father's eyes despite her attempts to please him. Pity softened his quizzical gaze and he explained that though he was from the Uchiha clan, he really wasn't much good at being a ninja and that he wasn't living up to the high expectations that had been set for him.

Just like that, Rin and Obito became best friends. The knowledge of their worth in each other was enough to alleviate the hurt of rejection from their family members.

(Back to the present)

A hand grabbed her arm, jerking her back to the present.

'Rin? Stop zoning out.' Kakashi's eye, the one not concealed by his headband stared at her.

She gulped. The sight of his soft black eye wasn't helping her clear her thoughts from the fog of the past.

'Huh, me? Zoning out? Of course I was- I mean, wasn't! Heh heh…' She stared sheepishly up at him.

'I've been trying to get you to respond for the past 5 minutes!'

'Oh, I uh, well… what can I say, such things happen…' Rin trailed off, embarrassed.

As she studied him in as unobtrusive a manner as she knew how, a light blush crept into her cheeks, dusting them with a light tinge. She was extremely aware of his hand still on her arm and the contact was sending electrical charges around her body, garbling her thought processes. Just as she was going to take her arm away and sever the contact (feeling like she would die the moment she did), one word escaped from his lips.

'Don't.' he'd whispered, almost involuntarily.

She stared at him in disbelief, sure she had misunderstood.

'I said don't.' he repeated.

Then, without any warning or indication, he bent closer, using his free hand to push his mask aside. Some small part of her brain registered that this was the first time she'd ever seen him without his mask on and he really was gorgeous underneath it but the more significant part of her mind was screaming _'He's coming closer, he's coming closer! What do I do!'_. Before she knew it, she felt warm lips graze her own and her body reacted in a way that shocked her. Her blood raced in her veins, her heart palpitated so quickly she could hardly tell one beat from the next and her lips; her lips had taken on life of their own and were moving with his. Her brain had completely disconnected from her body, leaving her doing exactly as her instincts instructed. Then, as soon as the kiss had started, he broke away and stared at her with an unfathomable expression.

'Rin, after Obito's death, you know that my heart has grown cold and for a while, I was unsure as to whether I was able to continue feeling affection for anyone. You, of all people, should understand what I mean. But as stupid and cliché as this sounds, I think I love you. When you started avoiding me, I felt like every day was a struggle. A struggle to be able to think of something other than you, to feel happy without remembering what happened between the three of us, to be able to feel anything at all aside from the shallow emotions I let slip through. I've been dispassionate for so long, hoping I don't hurt anyone else close to me but I can't stay away from you. I just can't. Part of the reason why I spend so much time at this memorial stone is that I hoped that one day you would appear to pay respects to Obito as well. But I never saw you, not until today. I don't know if I can do this, because every time I look at you, I see Obito's face surfacing. I don't know how to begin, how to do this right-'

'But we have to try.' She cut in, gently and simply. Her brain had finally kicked back into gear again and from what she could process, Kakashi was doing exactly what she dreamed he'd do since the first time she'd met him.

'It feels like a betrayal. Obito loved you. he didn't want me to tell you but he loved you. And everyday I live with the knowledge that I cannot possibly take away from him the last thing he had – and that's his love for you. Obito wouldn't like this, Obito-'

'-is smiling, knowing his friends have a chance to be happy again.' She interrupted yet again, not wanting him to continue wallowing in his guilt. Guilt that was completely unnecessary and uncalled for.

'Just shut up and kiss me, Kakashi. Forget your misgivings, leave them behind.'

A flicker of consternation crossed his face and was replaced by resolve. Letting his lips once again touch hers, he closed his eyes to better enjoy the moment, and together, they began to heal. Sometime during the kiss, he muttered against her lips, 'Better?'

Lost in the moment, she answered, 'No.'

Feeling him stiffen in hurt, she elaborated. 'It's perfect.'

She opened her eyes to stare out at the expanse of now obsidian black sky, adorned with the many sparkling stars that winked coldly, other-worldly beings.

Sensing her shift in focus, Kakashi turned to gaze in the direction she faced, grasping her hand at the same time. Feeling their pulses beating in their wrists, they knew that they both saw something in the breathtaking scene before them. In the millions of stars flung like fairy dust in the sky, Obito's face was clearly outlined by the brightest points of light in that unobscured night sky.


End file.
